Thanks to you, Sievmean is now studying Tourism and Hospitality

Friday, January 2017
by Romina Olmoguez

2016 had been a really good year for PEPY Empowering Youth, all of which was made possible by your generous help and support. The success of our Scholarship Project, the Learning Center, and our Dream Management Project can only be attributed to you becoming a part of a larger movement that is helping change the story of the communities we are working with in Cambodia. We want to thank you again, and celebrate your support of our mission and the young Cambodians. Your donation has helped us fund these three important projects, including community needs assessments and home visits to both current and potential scholars’ families. This New Year is the perfect time to renew your pledge of support to the promising young Khmer people.

We love sharing success stories, and we have a lot! In our Dream Management Project in Lycée Kralanh, a total of 124 students finished their Dream Class with PEPY in 2016. We are delighted that we are able to fulfil our mission of connecting young Cambodians to opportunities that are available to them, not only with PEPY.

Mol Sievmean is one of the most active students in our 2016 Dream Class and extremely committed to becoming an outstanding student in Lycée Kralanh. Originally from Mongkol Borey in Banteay Meanchey Province, her family moved to Kralanh, Siem Reap Province in 2015. Sievmean used to be reserved, only interacting with very few close friends and not actively participating in class. As a new student, she found it difficult to relate to her new peers and had challenges finding a group she’s in rhythm with.

In Dream Class, she learned about self-motivation, how to build her self-confidence and how to set and achieve her goals. Bit by bit, Sievmean started to come out of her shell, reaching out to her teachers, her classmates and even building new relationships. One of her defining moments was when she successfully delivered a presentation in front of her class, bravely engaging the audience and then receiving a big round of applause after. This one experience boosted her confidence and made her realise that she can do so much more if she knows how to pursue her dreams. “After joining the dream class, I no longer feel shy when talking to other people no matter where they are from. During the Dream Class sessions, I got a lot of chances to deliver presentations so I feel familiar with it already.”, she said.

Sievmean is now learning Tourism and Hospitality as a Sala Baï scholar with the French NGO Agir pour le Cambodge (APLC). Thank you for your generosity last year, Sievmean found the path to her dream. But that’s not all – YOU also helped a lot of young Cambodians pursue their dreams to improve the quality of their lives and fulfill their full potential.